Wednesday, 29 October 2008

For her Vol.3, Nina Nikicio looks no further than both sides of her heart. Joy Division, The Kills, Billy Idol along with Rilo Kiley had some bearing on what makes Vol.3 appealing. This is where Vol.3's blue draped leather jacket comes in. The most wonderful of all, tailoring detail and and structures for which Nikicio is known for, are in attendance. With a collection that is more interested in being unrefined, welcome to a jumble of soft and dark traits. Click here to see her entire collection.

Monday, 27 October 2008

Darkthrone return this autumn with their 14th album, a fusion of blackened, metal & punk. The new album from the undisputed lords of darkness, "Dark Thrones & Black Flags" is an exercise in pushing the conventions of the narrow perception of what should make black metal, becoming more timeless & faithful to its spirit than most could ever wish for in the process. Click here to listen their new tracks and watch an exclusive new video footage featuring Darkthrone in the studio .

Comptoir des Cotonniers has been designing collections since 1995 that combine modernity with timeless chic. Their mission is to offer an accessible and contemporary interpretation of fashion. See the rest of Comptoir's Fall Winter 08/09 collection here.

Friday, 24 October 2008

Sophomore is a New York City label founded by Chrissie Miller in 2003. After received a growing amount of demand among celebrities and retailers, she's teaming up with designer Madeleine von Froomer, who recently worked for Proenza Schouler. Sophomore has expanded its offerings from a single tshirt to a full contemporary New York vibe collection. We really like the look of this brand. It has a real simple edgy downtown attitude. They are timeless. Anyway, here's our interview with Chrissie Miller and see what she told us.

HPDC: Tell us about your background and main interests.

Chrissie: I grew up in New York City on the Upper East Side (very gossip girl), went to private schools. I then went to art school and studied film, art and sociology. After school I wanted to be a graphic designer, so I experimented with making graphic t-shirts for my friends, which is how Sophomore began.

HPDC: Tell us a little bit about the early days of Sophomore - how did you get things started?

Chrissie: I made some shirts for some friends and my friend Charlotte Ronson sold them at her store. A friend of mine wrote about them and we got lots of store orders, so it became a job. Last year I wanted to expand the line in to a full sportswear collection. I met Madeleine von Froomer, who was designing at Proenza Schooler at the time. She was a perfect fit.

HPDC: How did you get your label off the ground?

Chrissie: It was very organic, we expanded as we grew. We stared with one t-shirt and as we sold them we made more and more and so on...

HPDC: When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?

Chrissie: I've always had a passion for fashion! It was something I was always doing but not really realizing i was doing it, sewing clothes remixing vintage dresses, making t-shirts. I think it found me.

HPDC: How would you describe your work?

Chrissie: I am never not work! I work all the time, even when I'm not at work I'm thinking of ideas, researching, looking at other designers. Always looking for inspiration.

HPDC: Tell me about you S / S 09 collection? What can we see from Sophomore next season?

Chrissie: Spring is very bright and sexy. Lots of cut out and zippers!

Chrissie: I wake up late, like 10am. Get to work by 10:30 (I live a few block from my office). Work until I'm done which can be 6, 7 or 8. Go home, there are usually always people hanging out at my house which is nice to come home to. Then I go out to dinner with friends and maybe go out or just watch Oprah and pass out.

Henrik Vibskov, Danish born, grown up in the middle of the countryside of Jutland, Denmark. Creative in visual art, music and fashion from his base in Copenhagen. Graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, well known for graduating designers and artist. He has been playing drums since the age of 10, thus, he’s been appearing on 10 releases with various artist. Mainly in the independent music genre. Latest behind the drums on the Danish artist Trentemoeller’s album The Last Resort and together with Mikkel Hess doing DrummingFriday on the streets and clubs.

White Trumpet unveils its second womenswear collection for Autumn-Winter 2008/2009 and gives classic garments a geometric re-interpretation. Obsessed with triangles, designer Reno Inchenko of White Trumpet expresses his retro-futuristic slant on fashion. Already spotted for his first collection by Opening Ceremony, the New York avant-garde fashion boutique, White Trumpet continues in a stricter vein with this season’s new designs. See the entire collection here.

Thursday, 23 October 2008

El Topo (The Mole) is a 1970 cult movie, directed by and starring Alejandro Jodorowsky, a Chilean filmmaker of Russian-Jewish birth. The movie caused quite a commotion in the early 70s for its graphic violence and sensuality, in addition to its bizarre, surrealistic imagery. There is no denying the film is about the eponymous character using allegory and religious iconography to tell the story of a gunfighter, El Topo, who wanders the desert on an odyssey seeking enlightenment. But first, he must defeat four master gunfighters and dig a tunnel to free a colony of deformed underground dwellers from their dark confines. This experimental avant-garde film surely has reached the cult status.

"If you are great, El Topo is a great picture. If you are limited, El Topo is limited." - Alejandro Jodorowsky

Andreas Lonn is a Swedish London-based shoe designer that makes gothic shoes, designs sculpturally, claims not to like feet and collaborated with Charles Anastase. Having just graduated from Cordwainers College, Andreas Lonn currently works as a shoe designer and is recognized as a fashion icon as well as being the muse of Lotta Skeletrix. You can read his interview here.

Monday, 20 October 2008

Actual Pain is the brainchild of artist TJ Cowgill created in the winter of 2006. Essentially, they wanted to make a brand that was new and fresh yet had it's ties to old school metal, punk, trash, horror and basically the darkside of life. He personally design every piece of Actual Pain. In April of 2008, his band, Book Of Black Earth signed a deal with Prosthetic Records and their second headbanger "Horoskopus" has just been released. To say he's busy is understatement. Everything he do in art, Actual Pain, or Book of Black Earth comes from the deepest part of his subconscious. Enjoy enjoy our one-on-one interview with the man behind the clothing label and the band. Read on and find out for yourself.

HPDC: Hey TJ, hows it goin?

TJ Cowgill: It's going pretty good thanks.

HPDC: Where are you from?

TJ Cowgill: Seattle, though I grew up specifically on the southside which is the poor neighborhood.

TJ Cowgill: Like I said it's called Wild Life, it's based on the idea that life is dark and wild sometimes, but we should never forget to party and be ourselves.

HPDC: You recently teamed up with Mishka. Could you tell us the story?

TJ Cowgill: Well, I'm not sure how we met, it was a year or so back. I think they got in touch with us and just said "Hey good work" you know. But after talking with them and meeting them we found a lot in common. I really wanted to do a New Era hat but getting it done is hard unless your in with New Era. I told them the idea and they were stoked. Also, the Rasputin tee as their concept, I just drew it up and we both made it happen.

HPDC: How do you keep things fresh?

TJ Cowgill: I don't know, I try not to pay attention to what the other brands are doing but it's hard because of the collective unconscious artists share. So I do look and try to see what others bring and instead offer my personal approach to the clothes we make. A lot of people draw, but almost nobody I know draws just like me. I try and remember that the art is already there, I'm just helping it remember itself in this world that we're in now.

HPDC: Do you think this recession will affect the purchases of fashion and apparel?

TJ Cowgill: No not really, the whole world bank is set up to keep people content but not to have too much. As long as we keep delivering, people will buy Actual Pain.

HPDC: What's your daily uniform?

TJ Cowgill: Sleeveless tee shirt black or white, black denim jeans that fit, and bleached chucks or vans. If I have to wear a coat it's black denim or leather. Always.

HPDC: Anyway, you're also have a band called Book of Black Earth. What can you tell us about it?

TJ Cowgill: BoBE is my love child, seriously I spend so much time on this band it's ridiculous. We play heavy metal but with a punk mentality. We are on a 5 week US tour and it's awesome. It takes away from Actual Painbut it's worth it. If I just did one thing all the time I would go crazy. And it's really inspiring.

TJ Cowgill: Well the new album is about how all monotheistic religion is based on astrology and sun god worship. Christians for example have been taught to appropriate the old pagan holidays as their own. Nowadays your average christian has no idea that Easter is actually the spring equinox, the day Jesus rose from the dead is also the day pagans celebrated the return of the sun, and longer warmer days. This is just one of many examples of the bible being an allegory and not a literal, historical text as so many people take it as.

HPDC: What makes your second album different from the first?

TJ Cowgill: Well we have two new members in the band Tony and Dav. They bring their own style to the table. Also we were not as interested in an overproduced sounding album. This record is raw. The way heavy metal was intended to be.

TJ Cowgill: We are still on 20 Buck Spin, Dave who runs the label is a friend of ours and did an awesome job with the Feast. We signed a deal with Prosthetic because they could offer us more and help is reach a wider range of people with our message.